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THE 


Bardwell Votometer 


BY 

ARTHUR K. BARDWKIvIv, C. K. 

AND 

JANIES HAMILTON, 

Of the 'Boston 'Bar. 


-'f' 



BOSTON 

Beacon Press; Thomas Todd, Printer, 14 Beacon Street 

1901 




Library of Conpiroyg 
‘IWO CoPiES RECf'VFD 


JAN 16 1901 


Copyright (mtry 



SECOND copy 



Copyright, 1901, 

BY 

Arthur F. Bardwell 

AND 

James Hamilton. 


f’f 





I 


THE BARDWELL VOTOMETER. 


I. Historical Sketch of Electoral Reform. 

The progress of electoral reform, ever slow, has been marked 
by the change from voting viva voce to voting by written or printed 
ballot; and from the open casting of the printed ballot to the secret, r' 
or so-called Australian, system. An advance as great as either of 
these marks the advent of the new century; machine-voting in the 
closing year of the last century passed the experimental stage, and 
must now be recognized as one of the institutions of the new century. 
The requirements to be met by the voting-machine will be best under¬ 
stood by noting the defects of the old systems and the reasons for 
the gradual development of the Australian ballot system. 

Among primitive races voting, so far as it was practiced at all, 
was probably done by word of mouth, show of hands, standing, 
division, or like open and simple means. Voting by ballot was 
known, however, to the ancient Greeks and Romans. The use of 
colored balls may be traced to the Dikasts of Greece, who used col- 
ored shells and marked stones. The first historical trace of a written 
ballot is found in the Gabinian law, passed in 139 b.c., during the 
days of the Roman Republic. By this law the voter was required to 
write his choice for magistrate upon a wooden tablet, and to drop the 
tablet in a box provided for its reception. During the days of the 
Empire the election of magistrate was accomplished viva voce in the 
Senate; but in the time of Trajan a return was made to the written 
ballot. In America the first use of the written ballot was had in a 
church election in Salem, Mass., in 1629, and in 1635 enacted'^ 

that the election of governor be by written ballot. Some of the state 
constitutions adopted between 1776 and 1790, provided for election 
by written ballot, a provision contained in the colonial charters of 
Rhode Island and Connecticut, under which they continued as states; 
but it was not until a very recent period that Kentucky, by its adop-«/ 
tion of a new constitution embracing this provision, made it common 
to the constitutions of all the states. In Great Britain the adoption 
of the written ballot for parliamentary elections was not accomplished 
until 1872, although Jeremy Bentham, Ricardo, Macaulay, and their 
followers, agitated the question from early in the nineteenth century. 



4 


But the ballot, though not the most common form of voting, was from 
an early date much used in various boroughs in England in the election 
of municipal officers. In 1526 it was ordered that voting in all mat¬ 
ters touching aldermen be by colored balls; and in 1656 the ordi¬ 
nance of Winchester made a similar provision. 

Secret voting also was known at an early period in England. 
At Lancaster in 1362 those who participated in the election of mayor 
were ordered “ to give their voices privily and secretly every one by 
himself.” At Pontefract in 1607 in the election of mayor the voter 
wrote his choice on a paper slip which was deposited in an urn. 
These slips were ordered burned immediately after the count was 
made. Manifestly recounts were not provided for in those times. 
In the Venetian Senate, the British Parliament, and the French 
Chamber of Deputies, the votes were for a time by secret ballot, a 
system strangely in contrast with that of our legislative bodies under 
which too much publicity cannot be given to the votes of the people’s 
representatives. The fact that the change to the secret ballot in 
general parliamentary elections was accomplished in England only 
after a debate lasting nearly three-quarters of a century, shows that 
the advantages of this system were not then so obvious as they now 
seem to us. Perhaps one reason for its slow adoption was the dis¬ 
like of the sovereigns for it, a dislike which we find distinctly 
expressed in a royal order in council in 1637. In deference probably 
to the expressed royal wish, secret voting was at first made optional, 
as is exemplified in the ordinance of Winchester passed in 1656; but 
at the time of the passage of the Ballot Reform Act (1872), optional 
secret voting was rejected by the House of Commons, though 
advocated by the House of Lords. Nevertheless, it is not to the 
British Parliament, the United States Congress, or the legislature of 
any of the great nations of the world that the system of compulsory 
secret voting owes its existence and almost universal adoption today ; 
but to the legislature of a sparsely settled community far from the 
centers of civilization and social progress — to the legislature of 
South Australia (1857-8). Victoria and New South Wales passed a 
similar law a year or two later and New Zealand did the same in 
1870. From the Australian continent the system spread to Great 
Britain (1872), British America, Belgium (1877), and the United 
States. 

The reasons for this rapid spread of the system are not difficult 
to determine. Under the old system large customers influenced 
small traders; employers coerced their workmen and trades-unions 
their members. Landlords intimidated tenants and marched detach¬ 
ments to the polls while hired mobs patrolled the streets to procure 


5 


by force votes which persuasion failed to obtain. Yet it was urged 
in defense of this system that the open vote tended to create and 
maintain the self-respect of the voter while the secret vote served as 
the parent and protector of hypocrisy — an argument the fallacy of 
which should have been discovered in a period shorter than three- 
quarters of a century. At length it came to be recognized that the 
object of the ballot is to secure an absolutely independent suffrage 
and that compulsory secrecy is plainly the only means to that end. 
Any other system enables one person to know how another has 
voted and thereby subjects the honest voter, if not to the grosser 
forms of intimidation, to more subtle and perhaps more pernicious 
coercion of every sort. Fear is a persuasive agent silent in its 
operation, often owing its birth to no suggestion outside of the mind 
of its victim — it is unnecessary to tell the workingman the risk that 
he runs in disobliging the mill-owner. When fear of loss was absent, 
hope of gain proved effectual to secure votes. But by taking away 
from the dishonest voter all means of proving that he lent himself to 
corruption, his dishonesty is deprived of all market value.' As free¬ 
dom of religion ensures freedom of conscience and freedom of the 
press protects freedom of thought, so does secrecy of the ballot safe¬ 
guard the right of suffrage. Corruption is extirpated, opinions 
deliberately formed and conscientiously entertained are given effect, 
and a free and honest expression of the convictions of every citizen 
is obtained. In the accomplishment of these results two cardinal 
features of the secret or Australian system are most helpful: 

First, the arrangement of the polling booth and the rules for 
marking the ballot, by which compulsory secrecy of voting may per¬ 
haps be secured. 

Second, an official ballot containing the names of all candidates 
and distributed under state control. Nominations can be made by 
all and a place on the ballot is open to all. 

2. The Votometer the Embodiment of the Ideal System. 

The cumbersome methods and technical requirements of the 
Australian ballot system resulting in the self-disfranchisement of 
the honest voter by his unintentional violation of them, giving rise 
to questions perplexing to election officers and the courts, and pro¬ 
ducing the uncertainty of counts and ever differing recounts, have 
created a demand for the more simple and certain machine voting. 
Under the former system, to compel secrecy it is necessary that the 
ballots cast bear no peculiar or distinguishing characters put thereon 
by the voter, and therefore the law requires that the voters mark 



6 


their ballots in one prescribed way. Failure to follow this require¬ 
ment results in the self-disfranchisement of the delinquent voter. 
“ Perhaps it may be said,” remarks Chief Justice Dixon, of Wisconsin, 
/ “ that protection can be afforded only by imposing a disability.” If 
a colored pencil be used in marking the ballot, or a peculiar form of 
mark be adopted by the voter, or the position of the mark be irregu¬ 
lar, the ballot is defective and the voter stands self-disfranchised. 
The intent of the voter cannot be made the subject of inquiry. Pro¬ 
tection to the secrecy of the ballot can be secured only by imposing 
the disability. 

By providing the honest voter a mode of expressing in secrecy 
his choice free from technical rules, the votometer affords him protec¬ 
tion against self-disfranchisement through his unintentional violation of 
such rules, relieves the election officers and the courts from the neces¬ 
sity of passing upon perplexing questions of validity, and obviates the 
necessity of recounts and the delay and uncertainty attending con¬ 
tested elections. 

By preventing the voter by positive mechanical means from vot¬ 
ing more than the legally permissible number of times for a given 
office or candidate, the votometer renders illegal voting impossible. 
The careless, the stupid, the illiterate voter finds himself restricted 
to a legal ballot, not by mere force of a statute, but by what is in¬ 
finitely more effective in such cases, the actual physical constraint 
imposed by the mechanism. The difference is that between “ shall 
not ” and “ cannot.” 

By mechanically registering the votes, the votometer keeps an 
accurate record of the number cast, and uncertainty and distrust give 
place to absolute certainty and confidence. The election officers are 
relieved of the tedious work of counting and the perplexing work of 
deciding; dispatch in reporting the returns is obtained, and the 
recounts so commonly called for under the Australian ballot system 
are rendered unnecessary. The registers may be publicly photo¬ 
graphed before the machine is unlocked at the opening of the polls, 
and after the machine is locked at the close of the polls. No 
counterpart of ballot-box stuffing can take place with the votometer. 

By arranging the mechanism so that no trace of individual 
manipulations is left visible, compulsory secrecy is obtained. The 
votometer itself effectually screens the voter while he registers his 
vote, and the mechanism being noiseless in its operation, it is impos¬ 
sible to detect whether he votes or not. He leaves behind not even 
the commonplace pencil mark of the Australian system. 

By providing means by which the officers may throw parts of the 
votometer out of operation, female voters, poll-tax payers, and other 


7 


classes are restricted to the offices for which they are privileged to 
vote. 

The ballot for the votometer is printed and arranged under state 
or municipal control, which corresponds to the printing and distri¬ 
bution of the official ballots under the Australian system. 

Thus it is seen that the votometer gives every protection and 
every facility afforded by the Australian system, and at the same time 
avoids the defects of that system without introducing any of its own. 

3. How the Votometer Solves the Problem. 

(A) Secrecy is Absolutely Secured, — Secrecy is secured in two 
ways, one negative, the other positive. Negatively, (i) the voter is 
not permitted to leave any permanent indicia of his choice of candi¬ 
dates, and (2) the registering mechanism is made noiseless in opera¬ 
tion. Positively, (3) the machine itself is so arranged as to screen the 
voter from view; (4) the dials of the registers are hidden within the 
machine casing; and (5) the indicating mechanism which shows 
the voter that the register has operated is drawn out of sight by the 
resetting mechanism operated by the voter as he passes out. The 
voter puts himself, by means of a key, in positive mechanical connec¬ 
tion with the register actuator, which is geared to the units wheel of 
the register. A half turn of the key advances the particular register 
one unit, and at the same time throws into view an indicator which 
can be seen by only the voter. This indicator assures the voter that 
his vote has been registered, and gives him the means for verifying 
it. The indicators are drawn out of sight when the voter leaves the 
machine, and no visible trace of the voter’s manipulations is left. 
Were even the unit figures of the registers exposed, it would enable 
the second voter to ascertain how his predecessor had voted, and a 
number of voters following each other to the machine might conspire 
successfully to prove that they had cast their votes for a given candi¬ 
date. But the votometer presents precisely the same appearance to 
the last voter that it did to the first. Absolute secrecy is secured. 

(^B) Defective Ballots Cannot be Cast. — Defective ballots are the 
offspring of the legal requirements deemed necessary to secure 
secrecy. By securing secrecy without the aid of such requirements, 
the prolific source of defective ballots is destroyed. No disabilities, 
no self-disfranchisements, are imposed by the votometer. With the 
advent of the votometer, defective ballots are relegated to the past. 

(C) Illegal Ballots Cannot be Cast. — An illegal ballot cannot 
be cast by the votometer. The operation of one register locks 
the remaining registers of the group in case the voter is allowed 


8 


to vote only once for the office to which the group is assigned. In 
case the voter is allowed to vote more than once for the office, as in 
case of 'aldermen, coroners, judges, etc., the operation of the legally 
permissible number of registers locks the remaining ones of that 
group. This mode is known as “selective ” voting, and in this mode 
it often happens that one of the candidates is nominated by more 
than one party. Such a candidate is said to be “endorsed;” and 
although he is the nominee of more than one party, a voter can 
legally vote for him only once. The party candidacy supported is, 
however, a matter of choice with the voter. The votometer meets 
these requirements by providing a register for each party candidacy of 
the endorsed candidate, and by connecting the locking mechanism of 
these registers so that the operation of one register will lock all the 
other registers assigned to the endorsed candidate. Thus, while such 
a candidate may be voted for as a candidate of any one of the par¬ 
ties nominating him, he can be voted for only once by any one voter. 
Again, in voting on questions, as license, adoption of charter, con¬ 
stitutional amendments, etc., the votometer is so arranged that a 
“yes” vote locks the “no” register, and vice versa. Furthermore, 
interlocking mechanism so connects the registers of the “ straight 
ticket” group with the registers assigned to individual candidates, 
that the operation of a register in the straight ticket group renders 
impossible the operation of any register assigned to an individual; 
and, conversely, the operation of any register assigned to an indi¬ 
vidual, prevents the operation of a register in the straight ticket 
group. 

Certain voters {e.g.^ women voters, poll tax payers) are restricted 
in their right of suffrage to certain offices (e.g., school committee). 
To prevent such voters from exceeding their privileges and thereby 
casting an illegal ballot, the votometer is provided with mechanism 
which permits the election officer to lock the registers assigned to 
the offices for which they are not entitled to vote. 

The voter is precluded from resetting the machine and voting 
a second time by interlocking mechanism which connects the entrance 
and the exit. The closing of the entrance automatically locks the 
entrance and unlocks the exit, and conversely, the closing of the exit 
automatically locks the exit and unlocks the entrance. The opera¬ 
tion of the exit bar resets and locks all the registers, and they are 
unlocked only by raising the entrance bar. Thus a voter cannot 
return and vote a second time after having once cast his vote. 

(Z>) Every Legal Vote is Positively Registered. — The votes are 
mechanically registered by means of registers embodying the well 
known Geneva movement, and operated directly, one by one, by the 


9 


voter. The units gear wheel of the register meshes with the pinion 
on the key-piece or actuator shaft, and the voter grasps this shaft by 
means of a key. Thus the voter is enabled to register his vote 
directly and in one operation. Every part of the registering appa¬ 
ratus is in positive mechanical connection with the register actuator 
which is seized by the voter. It is, therefore, impossible for the 
voter to turn the actuator shaft without registering a vote. Again, 
the bits of the key prevent its withdrawal before the completion of 
the half-turn and thus insure the voter’s completion of the necessary 
movement. 

The register actuator is, furthermore, in positive mechanical 
connection with indicating mechanism which shows the voter that 
the actuator shaft has turned and his vote has been registered. 

(JS) Correction of Mistakes. — A voter is permitted by the votom- 
eter to change his vote. Any register that the voter has moved for¬ 
ward, he may move backward to the same degree, that is, to count off 
his own vote but no other. The indicators show the voter which 
registers have been moved by him; and before leaving the machine 
he may verify his vote and correct any mistake. 

{F) Independent Voting. — The votometer provides means for 
independent voting. Instead of actuating a register assigned to an 
individual, the independent voter actuates a card-delivering mechan¬ 
ism that furnishes the voter with a card upon which he writes the 
name of his choice and deposits the card in a suitable receptacle pro¬ 
vided therefor. By procuring a card the voter locks the registers of 
that group, and thereby denies himself the privilege of voting for 
regular candidates. 

(6^) Straight Ticket Voting. — If desirable, the votometer maybe 
arranged to permit straight ticket voting. In this case the registers of 
the straight ticket column are assigned one each to the various 
parties presenting nominees. The actuation of one of these regis¬ 
ters counts a vote for every candidate of the party to which the 
register is assigned and locks all the other registers except those 
assigned to the question column. A vote registered by mistake in 
the straight ticket column may be corrected in the same way as a 
vote registered anywhere else on the machine. 

[H) Elasticity of Arrangement. — The votometer permits of the 
greatest elasticity of arrangement. The machine is sectional in con¬ 
struction, and sections of one construction may be substituted for 
sections of another construction to suit the demands of the particular 
election, e. g.^ a selective group may be substituted when desirable 
for a group permitting only one candidate to be voted for. In fact, 
the whole machine may be made selective in its construction. 


lO 


(/) Totalizer, — The votometer registers the total number of 
voters using the machine, and if desirable it may be arranged to 
register the total number passing the entrance bar. 


4. Description of the Votometer and Its Operation. 

Description, — The Bardwell Votometer is constructed wholly of 
steel, brass, and aluminum. The mechanism is enclosed within a 
metallic casing suitably supported at a convenient height. The back 
of the casing is removable, made up of two parts hinged together, 
and secured in place by several locks having different keys. The 
votometer is sectional in construction, which permits interchangea¬ 
bility and gives elasticity of arrangement. A base plate extends 
across the lower part and a steel bar across the upper part of the 
interior of the casing, and this plate and bar serve as supports for 
the sections secured to them by screws. 

A standard section is composed of a main plate of metal, twenty- 
seven inches long, three inches wide, and three thirty-seconds of an 
inch thick. Upon the front of this plate are secured the mechanism 
for limiting the number of keys that may be simultaneously turned, 
the indicators that show where the key has been turned, and a por¬ 
tion of the face plate of the machine which bears upon it the part 
of the ballot to which the section is assigned. On the back of this 
plate are attached the parts which limit the number of successive 
times the key may be turned in the same direction in that section, 
and which operate the indicators and reset the mechanism after opera¬ 
tion. The registers, of which there is one for each position on the 
ballot, are also secured to this side of the plate. At the upper end 
of the plate is attached the card box which contains a supply of cards 
for the Independent vote. 

A notched vertical slide extends the entire length of the back of 
the plate and projects below it across the face of the base plate where 
it is engaged by mechanism secured to the latter. 

The shank of a -{—shaped key-piece extends through the main 
plate, the outer end of the shank being adapted to receive a key by 
means of which it is rotated and the cross piece of the -|- lying par¬ 
allel to the back of the plate and forming wings, one of which 
engages, when the key-piece is rotated, a notch in the adjacent indi¬ 
cator-plate, and the other an adjacent notch in the vertical slide. A 
key-piece is provided for each register and for each card delivery and 
through a pinion mounted on its inner end serves to actuate the reg¬ 
ister (or card delivery). When the key-piece is turned and the register 
(or card delivery) actuated, the vertical slide is raised and the indi- 


11 

cator-plate lowered by reason of the engagement of the wings in the 
notches above referred to. This movement of the vertical slide 
changes the relative position of its notches and the wings of the other 
key-pieces in that column in such manner as effectually to prevent the 
rotation of these other key-pieces. The relative position of the wings 
of the key-piece just rotated and the notches in the vertical slide and 
indicator-plate is such that while it effectually stops the forward rota¬ 
tion of the key-piece beyond half a turn, it permits its backward 
rotation through that arc and no more. But as regards backward 
rotation, this is true of only the register key-pieces; for obvious 
reasons the key-piece of the card delivery is provided with a pawl and 
ratchet which prevents its backward rotation. 

In construction the “Straight Ticket” section is identical with 
the others, except for a slight modification noted in the lower pro¬ 
jecting portion of the vertical slide, which has a short rack cut upon 
one side. A pinion mounted rotatably upon the base plate meshes 
with this rack and a rack cut upon the adjacent edge of the interlock¬ 
ing slide. If the key is turned in the “ Straight Ticket” section, this 
slide is moved by its rack-and-pinion connection with the vertical 
slide, thereby making it impossible to turn the key in any other sec¬ 
tion; that is, by means of this construction, voting a Straight Ticket 
and afterwards for individuals in addition is prevented. Voting for 
individuals and afterwards a Straight Ticket in addition is prevented 
by the engagement of the lower ends of the vertical slides, when 
raised, in notches in the interlocking slide, thereby rendering impo§si- 
ble any movement of the interlocking slide and so of the vertical 
slide of the “ Straight Ticket ” column, which slides must be free to 
move in order to actuate the registers of that column. By removing 
the pinion referred to, the “ Straight Ticket ” feature of the machine 
may be eliminated, and this section becomes like the others. 

In the “ Question Column ” the vertical slide is divided into as 
many parts as there are questions. These parts are controlled by a 
supplementary resetting slide. A single column permits a “Yes” 
and “No” vote on four different questions, and if “Yes” is voted, 
it is impossible to vote “ No ” on the same question in addition, and 
vice versa, but any mistake may nevertheless be corrected. 

In the columns devoted to selective or multiple voting {i.e., where 
more than one vote may be cast for the same office, e.g., school com¬ 
mittee) the vertical slide is divided into as many parts as there are 
key-pieces in the column, and each of these parts is connected by 
means of a suitable rod with a limiting device which is attached to 
the base plate. This limiting device is adjustable, and may be set 
to permit the turning of the key a predetermined number of times ; 


L#fC. 


12 


that is, a given number of candidates for a certain office may be 
voted for and no more. Where a candidate is endorsed (/.<?., nomi¬ 
nated by more than one party), the operation of one of the registers 
assigned to him prevents the operation of the others; therefore an 
endorsed candidate can be voted for only once by any one voter, 
irrespective of the number of parties of which he is the nominee. 

Attached to the lower part of the frame and adjacent to the base 
plate is the cut-out slide, which serves to prevent a restricted voter 
from turning the key where he is not legally entitled to do so. This 
slide is provided with detachable pieces which may be arranged to 
cut out any portion of the ballot. It is operated by the Inspector, 
and is properly set before the voter enters the machine. A suitable 
indicator shows its exact position — whether for a regular or special 
voter. 

In addition to the interlocking slide already noted, the base 
plate bears a registering slide, and the horizontal or main resetting 
slide. The first is suitably connected with the vertical slides by 
means of bell crank levers and actuates a register or totalizer only 
when the vertical slide first moved is drawn up. Thus the totalizer 
registers the total number of voters who use the machine and no 
more. 

The entrance and exit bars are connected with each other 
through the medium of the resetting slide, and each is provided with 
a lock or bolt, but only one of them can be in a locked position at a 
given time. The entrance bar is unlocked by the act of raising the 
exit bar, and the exit bar is unlocked by the act of raising the en¬ 
trance bar. This bar, when it drops, automatically locks itself, thus 
preventing the exit of the voter by or the entrance of others at that 
end of the machine. 

The raising of the exit bar locks, through the resetting slide, 
the entire mechanism, which it is impossible to operate until the en¬ 
trance bar has been raised. 

Operation, — A voter is given the key by the Inspector and 
enters the machine by raising the entrance bar, by which operation 
the exit bar is unlocked. The raising of the entrance bar also 
draws the main resetting slide, to which it is connected, into a posi¬ 
tion which makes it possible to turn the key in any section of the 
machine. The entrance bar, when it drops, automatically locks 
itself for the object above stated. 

The voter finds upon the face of the machine the names of the 
various candidates arranged, either alphabetically or in party order, 
together with the questions, etc., that comprise the ballot. The 
machine here shown provides for nominees of seven different parties 


13 


in addition to the “ Independent” feature, making in all eight hori¬ 
zontal rows across the machine. The top row is devoted to this 
“Independent” feature (or card delivery), by which a voter may 
vote for an individual whose name does not appear upon the ballot. 
There are twenty-two vertical columns, twenty of which are assigned 
to the names of the candidates for the various offices, etc., the names 
of candidates for the same office being arranged one above the other 
in the same column ; the first and last columns are devoted to the 
emblems of the parties, which emblems appear in duplicate at the ends 
of the horizontal or party rows. The second column from the left 
end is the “Straight Ticket” column, while the names of the candi¬ 
dates for the various offices, questions, etc., are arranged in adjacent 
columns in regular order. The second column from the right end is 
the “ Question Column,” in which are arranged the questions, etc., 
which call for a “Yes” or “No” vote. 

Straight Ticket Voting :— The voter therefore has before him the 
complete ballot, including questions, etc., and he is at liberty to make 
any selection of names, etc., he may see fit. If he desires to cast a 
vote for all of the nominees of any one party, by a single half-turn of 
the key he makes his selection in the “ Straight Ticket ” column, — 
the second from the left end, —and, inserting the key in the proper 
hole, which is in the center of the label bearing the name of the party 
for all the candidates of which he wishes to vote, he gives it a half¬ 
turn to the right—the limit of its motion. The effect of this half-turn 
is positively to actuate a register at the back. He cannot withdraw 
the key until he has completed a half-turn and therefore registered 
his vote beyond peradventure. Simultaneously with the turning of 
the key, a blank disc, or indicator, seen at the right of the keyhole, 
changes, and a cross or X appears, thus showing at a glance where 
he has turned the key and voted. It is now impossible to turn the 
key in any other hole in that column — that is, to vote for an addi¬ 
tional “Straight Ticket”—and it is likewise impossible to vote for 
any individual on the chosen ticket, or on any other ticket. How¬ 
ever, the “ Question Column ” remains unlocked, and in it the voter 
is still free to vote. 

Voting on Questions .—The affirmative of a question is assigned 
a keyhole, and the negative is similarly provided for, either in the 
square above or in that below the affirmative. The voter having 
decided either “Yes” or “No” upon a given question, turns the 
key-piece of the register assigned to it and the cross (X) appears, as 
before, to indicate where the key has been turned. Additional ques¬ 
tions that may be upon the ballot may be voted upon in the same 
manner. If “Yes” is voted on any given question, it is impossible 


14 


to vote “ No ” thereon in addition, and vice versa. After having voted 
a “Straight Ticket” and on the questions, it is impossible to turn 
the key elsewhere. 

Correcthig Mistakes. — All that can now be done is to correct any 
mistakes that become evident upon inspection — that is, upon noting 
where the cross (X) appears. If the voter discovers that the cross 
shows at the right of a party designation for which he did not intend 
to vote — in other words, if he finds he has made a mistake by turn¬ 
ing the key in the wrong hole — he is at liberty to re-insert the key, 
and by turning it in the direction opposite to that in which he first 
turned it, unvote his vote (but no other) thus restoring the status quo. 
He may now make a new choice, with the same limitation as before. 
The same course may be followed in regard to the vote on the ques¬ 
tions, if desired. Thus, any and all mistakes made by the voter may 
be corrected without loss of privilege. 

Resetting and Locking 07 i Exit. — The voter leaves the machine 
at the opposite end to that at which he entered, and returns the key 
to the Inspector. In passing out he raises a bar, similar in all re¬ 
spects to the one raised upon entering, which operation resets the 
machine and simultaneously locks it, in which condition it remains 
until the next voter enters ; so that, should he, or any other, surrepti¬ 
tiously return, it would be impossible to cast a vote or to turn off any 
already cast. The exit bar drops to its first position, in which it locks 
itself and remains fixed until the next voter enters. Every voter 
finds it impossible to gain access to the face of the machine before 
his predecessor has passed out; that is, the bar at the entrance end 
of the machine cannot be raised until the bar at the exit end has 
been operated. 

Independent Voting. — Another voter enters as did the first, and 
if he does not wish to vote an entire ticket by a single half-turn 
of the key, he neglects the “ Straight Ticket ” column, and votes for 
his candidates individually, either all of one party or made up of 
selections from different parties, or for independent candidates whose 
names do not appear on the ballot. For this latter purpose he 
operates in the allotted top row, turning the key in the hole to the 
office for which he desires to name a candidate. From a slit immedi¬ 
ately above the keyhole there will appear simultaneously with the 
turning of the key, a card suitably printed, upon which he may write 
or paste the name of the candidate for whom he wishes to vote. He 
may then deposit this card in the properly designated receptacle 
provided. 

The voter is restricted to a legal ballot by the limitations of the 
machine, which will allow him to vote for only one candidate for the 


15 


same office (except in case of “ selective ” voting hereinafter referred 
to). He is, however, at perfect liberty to select his candidate from 
any of the parties designated, or use the independent voting card in 
case his candidate’s name does not appear upon the ballot. After 
having cast his vote he may inspect his ballot, as before, by noting 
where the crosses (X) appear beside the names of the candidates for 
whom he has voted. He may correct any mistakes which he may 
have made, except that he cannot vote upon the registers after hav¬ 
ing drawn a card for the independent ballot. The electoral franchise 
is not an unrestrained license. Having verified his vote, he leaves 
the face of the machine, raises the exit bar, and passes out, an oper¬ 
ation which resets and relocks the mechanism, which remains locked 
until the next voter enters at the opposite end of the machine, as 
before explained. 

Selective Voting. — Where there is more than one candidate for a 
given office to be voted for, the machine may be suitably arranged, 
either to permit voting for all of the candidates of any one party as a 
group at a single half-turn of the key, or so that each candidate may 
be voted for individually. In the first instance all of the nominees of 
each party for the office in question are printed upon a single label, 
and, consequently, have a keyhole in common, and it follows that a 
turn of the key counts a vote for each one of the group. In case the 
voter does not desire to vote for all the candidates iii one group, or if 
he desires to vote for names found in different groups, he may vote 
“ independent,” draw a card and upon it make any proper combination 
of names he may see fit, and deposit the card as an independent vote. 

In the second instance only one name appears upon the label, and 
the key may be turned in as many places for that office as the vote^ 
is entitled to vote for, and no more; that is, the predetermined num¬ 
ber of candidates may be voted for, and they may all belong to one 
party, or to different parties, or they may be of regular or indepen¬ 
dent nomination, or both. In any case it is not possible to exceed 
the allotted number of votes. 

The Endorsed Candidate. — When the voter is entitled to vote 
for more than one candidate for a certain office and one (or more) of 
the candidates has been “endorsed,”—that is, has been nominated 
by more than one party — it is not possible for a voter to vote more 
than once for such a candidate, although his name appears several 
times for that office on the ballot. Such a candidate may be voted 
for as the nominee of the chosen party, and the vote counts for the 
candidate only as the nominee of that party. 

Class Voting. — If a qualified voter appears who is not entitled 
to vote the entire ticket, as a woman voter, or a poll-tax payer, a key 


i6 


which is accessible only from the back of the machine is turned by 
the Inspector, until the attached indicator shows the voter and any 
other present that the machine is properly set so that the part 
of the ballot for which the voter is denied the right to vote is locked 
and cannot be operated. Such a voter, upon entering the machine, 
finds it impossible to turn the key, except where he is legally entitled 
to do so. After the exit of a restricted voter, the machine is 
properly adjusted by the Inspector, by means of the key on the 
back of the machine, for the next or ingoing voter. 

Any keyholes which are not in use may be covered with suitable 
metal caps that are provided with the machine, thus preventing the 
turning of the key where there are no names of candidates. 

If during the poll it is desired to replenish the supply of cards 
in the upper part of the votometer, the upper part of the hinged 
cover is unlocked and access is thereby gained to the card boxes 
without exposing the registers. At the closing of the polls the entire 
cover is removed, thereby exposing the register dials, which are then 
read and photographed. 


17 


5. SUMMARY. 

1. The votometer secures absolute secrecy. The only trace 
left by the voter of his manipulations is the change of position of the 
register pointers and this change is hidden by the votometer casing. 

2. No defective vote can be cast. There are no technical 
requirements to be complied with or violated by the voter. The vote 
of every elector is equal in its influence upon the result to the vote of 
every other elector. The choice of every voter finds expression upon 
the votometer and has its influence on the result. 

3. No illegal ballot can be cast. Every ballot cast upon the 
votometer is legal and effective. 

4. The operation of the mechanism is sure. The parts are in 
positive mechanical connection with each other so that the turning 
of the key by the voter is absolutely certain to register his vote. To 
vote requires only one operation, simple and familiar. There is no 
chance of failure due to lack of cooperation of successive movements 
of the mechanism. No fine adjustments are necessary. 

5. While the votometer effectually prevents the casting of an 
illegal or defective ballot, yet it gives the voter every opportunity 
to correct his mistakes. Indicators show him which registers have 
been actuated by him and the mechanism permits him to cancel his 
own vote but stops him from cancelling any vote not cast by him. 

6. The sectional construction of the votometer gives an elas¬ 
ticity of arrangement which permits the votometer to be adapted to 
the requirements of any election and of the laws of any state. 

7. The mechanical registration of the votes ensures accuracy, 
avoids the necessity of recounts, and relieves election officers and 
the courts of the necessity of passing upon close and perplexing 
questions of the legality of ballot markings. 

8. The votometer reduces the expense attending elections, pro¬ 
motes convenience and rapidity of voting, and gives no opportunity 
for dishonest practices on the part of voters or election officers. 












































INDKX. 


Adoption of Australian Ballot System 
“ “ Written Ballot in America 

“ “ “ “ “ Great Britain 

“ “ “ “ by Romans . 

Advantages of Australian Ballot System . 

“ “ Bardwell Votometer . 

“ “ Secrecy .... 

Australian Ballot System, Advantages of 
“ “ “ Defects of . 

“ “ “ Development of 


Ballot, Defective .... 

“ Illegal. 

“ Secret . 

“ Written. 

Class Voting, Mechanism Provided for 
“ “ Method of . 

“ “ Votometer Provides for 

Correction of Mistakes 
Defective Ballot .... 

Defects of Australian Ballot System 

“ “ Open Voting 

Elasticity of Arrangement 
Electoral Reform, History of 
Endorsed Candidate .... 
History of Electoral Reform 

Illegal Ballot. 

Independent Voting .... 
Mistakes, Correction of . 

Multiple Voting .... 

Questions, Voting on. Mechanism for 
“ “ “ Method of 

Registering Mechanism 
Resetting Mechanism 
Secrecy, How Secured 
Secret Ballot, Advantages of . 

Selective Voting .... 

Straight Ticket Voting, Mechanism for 
“ “ “ Method of . 

Votometer, Advantages of 

“ • Description of 

“ Embodies Ideal System . 

“ Operation of 

“ Solves Problem, How 

Women Voters, Mechanism Provided for 
“ “ Method of Voting . 

“ “ Votometer Provides for 

Written Ballot, History of 


PAGE. 

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